By Okey Maduforo Awka .
Determined to get reed of bad eggs in it’s establishment, the Anambra Internal Revenue Services AIRS have sacked five of it’s enforcement officers following reports of extortion and harassment of motorists.
This followed constant reports from members of the public especially motorists who had accused the five of all manner of sharp practices.
The affected officers are:Imo Okechukwu
Chibuzo Nwana (a.k.a. DPO),Anthony Anwuru (a.k.a. Timaya),Afamefuna Olinya, and Ebere Anike (a.k.a. Holy Water)
In a statement issued by Hon. Juventus Chukwunweike Okoli, Head of the Transport Department, AIRS, Awka, the Service said the action was taken to restore sanity in the transport sector and protect commercial transport operators across the state.
“In a decisive move to restore sanity and protect commercial transport operators, the Anambra Internal Revenue Service (AIRS) has directed its Haulage IGR partner to summarily dismiss five enforcement officers indicted for corrupt practices,” the statement said.
According to AIRS, the dismissed officers were engaged by Mr. Dan Jude Nwankwo, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Danjude Construction Ltd., the Service’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) partner for haulage collections, to support compliance enforcement operations across the state.
The statement further disclosed that the dismissal directive was contained in a letter signed by Dr. Ndubuisi Achebe, Executive Director of the Informal Sector Directorate, AIRS, and copied to the Anambra State Commissioner of Police.
AIRS stated that the officers were removed following persistent reports and complaints of double taxation, extortion, assault, theft, and harassment of commercial transport operators and other taxpayers.
According to the Service, the action is in line with the Anambra State Government’s commitment to promoting order, accountability, transparency, and the protection of taxpayers within the transport sector.
The Revenue House warned that any of the dismissed officers found engaging in haulage enforcement activities or revenue collection after the effective date of their dismissal would be deemed to be acting illegally and would be liable to immediate arrest and prosecution.
AIRS noted that the intervention is expected to bring relief to commercial transport operators across the state, enabling them to conduct their businesses without fear of illegal levies, intimidation, extortion, or harassment.
“With this intervention, commercial transporters in Anambra State can now operate without fear of illegal levies and intimidation” he said.
